A grandmother who worked as a manager at a Cracker Barrel is being hailed as a hero after she was fatally shot in the chest in an attempt to protect a colleague from a robber, according to reports.

Robin Baucom, 59, who worked at a Cracker Barrel near Houston, Texas, for 34 years, was inside the eatery early Saturday when two men in a Dodge Charger pulled up near the front door, Star-Telegram reported.

Another employee was trying to get in when one of the men got out of the car and tried to steal her purse, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

When Baucom saw the robbery attempt, she hurried to unlock the door to allow the worker to enter and pushed the man, who was trying to force himself in.

During the fight, the man shot Baucom in the chest. She was operated on at a local hospital but later died, according to the newspaper, which quoted Harris County Constable Mark Herman.

"Our condolences go to her family. Sad to think that these victims simply started their day working," Gonzalez said.

Baucom's family wants her to be remembered as a hero who lost her life while trying to protect her colleague.

"She would have done anything in the world to protect her employees or any of us," her daughter Tina told KTRK.

“When I started in kindergarten, she started at Cracker Barrel part time. She wanted to buy me back-to-school clothes, ”said Tina. ‘It was supposed to be a couple of months. Thirty-four years later, a heartache, and here we are. "

Baucom's sister Gail said: "She is our hero and we hope she will be remembered as a hero because she lost her life in an attempt to protect her employees and Cracker Barrel," the KPRC reported.

Cracker Barrel said in a statement that the company "is solely focused on supporting our leader's family, her colleagues and local law enforcement while we struggle with this tragedy and grief."

Billy Crumpton, Baucom's brother, said: "The greatest love a person can have is to give his life for another person - and that's exactly what she did," Fox 26 Houston reported.

"She was a protector. Not just with her family, but with those she worked with. She protected the workers and gave her life for them," Crumpton added.

Baucom left behind her husband, three children and three grandchildren.

Angelia Richmond, a longtime regular at Cracker Barrel, told KTRK that "no matter who you were, she made sure you were taken care of."

She added: "She stood out. Not only that, she remembered your name."

Gonzalez released surveillance footage of the possible suspect, who was seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants and black shoes.

The two men fled in 2018 or newer model metallic gray Charger.